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Sen. Yudichak: A Responsible Natural Gas Tax Or Fee Will Be On Governor's Desk
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Sen. John Yudickak (D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said the General Assembly would put a responsible severance tax or impact fee on the Governor's desk in the Fall.

            "One positive out of the report was the endorsement of a lot of the regulatory changes Senate Democrats have been supportive of and introduced as legislation and passed in the House last year-- setbacks, bonding, protecting our streams, rivers and our water, so that was a positive of the report.

there really wasn't any new information there.  We'll address those very quickly.
            "The major disappointment disappointing of the Commission is it didn't seriously take up the issue of an impact fee or severance tax.  It didn't even take up the idea of a severance tax because they said the Governor would veto that. Well the Governor also said he didn't support forced pooling, but yet that was one of the recommendations.  Of course Senate Democrats and and myself support forced pooling.  Taking away individual property rights from landowners.
            "The lack of a comprehensive recommendation on an impact fee or severance tax really makes the report invalid at this juncture.  They did recommend a a fee but only a local fee.  We haven't done that for any other industry. This is an important industry in Pennsylvania.  But they should not be treated any differently.  They need to share the responsibility of making a  profit in Pennsylvania. I want them to be profitable.  I want them to create jobs in Pennsylvania.  The only way we can do that and make investments in the infrastructure that's really going to grow this natural gas industry, that's really going to grow manufacturing in Pennsylvania is to have a shared prosperity to have a responsible severance tax, a responsible impact fee that can make those investments in the infrastructure and most importantly protect our land, air and water.
            "We cannot make the same mistake we made in the anthracite areas and go out 10 years, 20 years, 25 years and ask the taxpayers to cleanup the mess of an industry that wasn't responsible.  The natural gas industry is trying to do the responsible thing.  I've seen many times where executives from the gas industry are in favor of a severance tax.
            "Let's get it done, let's not be bound by a paper pledge to Washington, D.C. think tanks.  Let's get responsible.  We need to do the job.  The people of Pennsylvania expect us to do the job. In the fall, we're going to take up a responsible severance tax or a responsible impact fee and put it on the Governor's desk."
            Click Here to watch Sen. Yudichak's statement.

7/25/2011

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